Raq'ronekut
by TacticianZephine
Summary: The agony of a sparkmate's death puts a Decepticon officer out of commission. NOTE: The name is not my invention, I found it on a website.


**Set during the events of Crossfire, after Airachnid kills Breakdown, but somehow before MECH hauled him off. My theory is that Dreadwing got there, but hid when he heard MECH coming. I don't care if that's out of character, he didn't want to be captured while calling in.**

* * *

Soundwave lunged at his leader, knocking him to the floor with sheer force, then dropping back for another blow as the silver mech recovered.

A tentacle shot out, intent on knocking his opponent to the ground again and pinning him there, but the warlord grabbed it, whipping it up, then down, knocking Soundwave sideways into the wall. The darker one stumbled back onto the floor, shaking his head to clear it.

"Come, Soundwave, surely you can do better than that. Haven't you been aching for a rematch ever since that solarcycle in the pit?"

The spymaster swung at the larger mech's midsection, only grazing the silver plating. He tucked his head as Megatron countered his blow, then stuck out his foot and tripped the larger gladiator, knocking him to the ground once again.

"Notation: Megatron: Favors left ankle. Suggestion: See medic."

Megatron glanced over his shoulder at Soundwave, then rotated the joint in question. He winced at the slight hitch. "You are correct. I must have injured it this morning." He got to his feet, and looked to his spymaster. "Let us pay our medic a little visit. He can't be that bu-"

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_!"

The officers looked up suddenly, then at each other.

"Knock Out," they realized in unison, then took off toward the Medical Bay.

*****  
The doors slid open, and Megatron and Soundwave rushed in. "Knock Out!" the warlord thundered. "What is the problem in here?!"

Soundwave looked around the room. There were several Vehicons lying on cots, some locked in stasis, some recharging, and a few making pained noises. Because the Vehicons were present, he didn't speak.

"L-Lord Me-ga-tr-on," one of the Vehicons forced out. Those who were able attempted to rise and salute, but the gladiator waved them down. "C-Cap-tain Kn-Knock Out-"

"Quiet," Megatron barked. "He's not in here. Soundwave, scan the Medical Bay. Find that narcissisistic wretch, before I-"

Soundwave's visor flashed up a schematic of the Medical Bay, a circle indicating the Supply Closet, whose door in life was open. The words "Knock Out Detected" scrolled across his visor.

"Of course. Buffing his finish again, I presume," the larger gladiator grumbled. "It's fair to wager that his claw slipped."

:_Query: Wager what?:_ Soundwave communicated over his higher frequency channel. This was the reason he appeared to be telepathic sometimes.

"A cube of high grade, nothing more," he chuckled, patting the shoulder of his communications officer.

The two of them approached the closet, pushing the door aside fully and padding in. "Knock Out, what is this foolishness? I demand to know what's going on in-"

Megatron looked around. The place was a mess.

It seemed that Knock Out had been standing on a box to reach something on a higher shelf and had climbed the next couple of shelves to reach it, but had fallen, or slipped. A box of soldering tips had been overturned and spilled, possibly from Knock Out grabbing blindly at the shelf to catch himself and interrupt his fall.

"Perhaps my theory was incorrect," Megatron rumbled. "Knock Out, respond!"

"... uhnnn..."

"Soundwave, locate Knock Out."

The spymaster pointed down an aisle, where several more items had been upset as Knock Out had presumably stumbled down it. Red paint chips garnished the floor along the path it was safe to assume the medic had taken.

The two officers walked down the messy corridor to the curtain that marked Knock Out's "touch-up station", one of many. The curtain had been torn off its runner on one side. Megatron ripped the curtain down the rest of the way, tossing it aside.

The mirror in the makeshift room was shattered, several large chunks of glass missing, splintered on the floor. Knock Out's foot was visible from the corner, where he lay in a heap, shivering.

"Knock Out! What is the meaning of this?" Megatron bellowed once more. When he took a step toward the medic, however, he found himself inhibited by Soundwave's arm. The spymaster's tentacles deployed, seizing the medic's exposed foot and pulling him easily into the light.

Knock Out's chestplating was covered in scratches, right over the spark chamber. There were red paint chips on his claws, and when he looked up, his optics burned nearly white with agony that even Soundwave could feel.

"Knock Out. What happened to you?" Megatron demanded.

The medic continued to shake. "... _Ra_... _qron_... _ekut_..." he stammered in Cybertronian.

"Soundwave, take him to his quarters. I'm relieving him of duty. You and I will attend to any new injuries that might occur, you remember basic first aid from the pits, don't you?"

*****  
:_Knock Out: Sedated:_ Soundwave reported as he returned to the bridge.

"Thank you, Soundwave," Megatron rumbled. "Return to your post."

:_Dreadwing to the _Nemesis_, attention: Commander Soundwave:_ Dreadwing's voice echoed over the ship's communication system. _:Request a bridge back to the ship, as well as assistance_:

"Have you done what I requested?"

:... No, I'm afraid not, Lord Megatron. There was an... occurrance:

"What sort of 'occurrance'?"

:... You will be debriefed in person, my Lord. I cannot risk this transmission be overheard by the... wrong party:

The telltale _click_ of a transmission terminating was heard, and Megatron looked to his spymaster. "Open a groundbridge at Dreadwing and Breakdown's present location."

:... Observation: Breakdown: Not detected:

Soundwave reported.

"What do you mean 'not detected'?"

:Repeat: Breakdown: Life signal not detected:

Soundwave pointed to the screen. Only Dreadwing's signal was visible. _:Status: Running area scans... scanning... Scan: Complete. Breakdown: Not dectected. Conclusion: Breakdown: Offline:_

"... What was that that Knock Out said, in the Medical Bay?"

Soundwave played back the recording. "... _Ra_... _qron_... _ekut_..."

"Where have I heard that before? _Raq'ronekut_... Breakdown's name. I thought that the two of them being spark-bonded was a rumor."

_:Negative: Knock Out and Breakdown: Bonded:_


End file.
